Abdullahi Yahaya (APC-Kebbi) has formally resigned as the Senate’s Majority Leader following his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Yahaya announced his resignation in a letter addressed to Senate President Ahmad Lawan and read at plenary on Tuesday.

“I write to inform you of the withdrawal of my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and consequently resigned my position as the majority leader of the 9th senate.

“I came to this decision, after a very hard struggle with my conscience and emotions, that it is better to remain on the side of my people than selfishly look the other way.

“All politics is local. I cannot, therefore, in good conscience continue to work for the success of this administration at the centre while the people of my state, my primary constituency, continue to wallow in abject poverty and destitution under the misrule and manipulation of a despot in the state.”

Mr Yahaya disclosed that he had defected to the Peoples Democratic Party “to join forces with compatriots at home who are against incompetence, imposition and violation against democratic norms, principles and practices.”

Meanwhile, another Senator, Adamu Alero (APC-Kebbi) has also defected to the PDP from APC, according to a letter addressed to Senate President Lawan and read at plenary on Tuesday.

“It is with deep sense and responsibility that I write to inform your excellency and deed my entire colleagues in the Senate of my decision to defect from my political party, the APC, to the PDP.

“This decision is predicated on the fact that there is no internal democracy in the APC,” Mr Alero said.

Earlier, at the commencement of the plenary, Mr Lawan also announced that the minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, had defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

(NAN)